With the National Havurah Committee Summer Institute 2010 a scant 9 months away, the call is out for artists to apply to be this year’s Poretsky Artists in Residence at the Summer Institute. For artists, this week chock full of learning, singing, hiking, playing, hanging and great people from all across the continent, and an amazing opportunity. A week with a community eager to learn from you and share with you, a supportive environment to explore new projects, a week on Franklin Pierce University’s relaxed campus in New Hampshire, a chance to build relationships with people from all over North America, a $1000 stipend for the week on top of the free ride to Institute. You have the opportunity to teach a class and take a class from amazing teachers. Also, there are games, singing, jams, hiking, lots of fun stuff happening all week.
Full text of the letter and the application after the jump. Know an amazing artist who would love an opportunity to work with a community of 300-400 Jews of all types from across North America? Tell them to apply to be a Poretsky Artist in Residence.
NHC 2010 Summer Institute Poretsky Artist-in-Residence Program
The NHC community is a vibrant and diverse group of people dedicated to Jewish living and learning, community building and tikkun olam (repairing the world). Egalitarianism and a willingness to learn are our fundamental principles. Because we believe that every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher, our teachers also take classes, join in community-wide events, share Shabbat, and enjoy all that the Institute has to offer.
Two Artists in Residence join the faculty of each NHC Summer Institute, funded by a grant from the Rita Poretsky Foundation. Artists in Residence participate fully in the Institute, as do all who teach. Using their art form, artists explore or develop a theme that relates in some way to Jewish history, culture, or personal experience. The Artist-in-Residence grant is ideal for trying out a new project or thematic idea in a supportive community. Each Artist in Residence performs, exhibits or demonstrates his or her work in one community-wide evening program. Each artist is also asked to develop a program for the community’s teenagers or children’s program where appropriate. The NHC selects artist-teachers who can help others become art makers for the week and who will participate in building the community that forms at each Institute.
The theme for the 2010 Institute is Declare Freedom for All – D’ror yikra lvein im bat. This theme could inspire exploration of many different types of freedom, of thought, movement, action, or questioning what it means to be free or to declare freedom at a time when not all are free. While we invite proposals for courses that speak to or draw upon the theme, we welcome proposals for all topics relevant to our community. Every proposal receives full consideration.
Each Artist-in-Residence will receive a $1,000 stipend upon conclusion of the Institute. As a Poretsky Artist-in-Residence, you will also have the opportunity to take a class yourself, join the community-wide events, choose from one of several daily minyanim (prayer groups) and a plethora of workshops, and enjoy all the recreational activities that the Institute has to offer.
Responsibilities of the Poretsky Artist-in-Residence include:
* Teaching a group of approximately 20 students (potentially ranging in age from 13-100) for four 90 minute sessions (or alternatively four 150 min “extended-format” sessions)
* Facilitating a community-wide evening activity. We would like the whole Institute community to have an opportunity to learn from you during the week. While this activity may be a performance of some sort (either by you or your class), we ask that there be a significant interactive component of the program.
* Participating in the children’s camp. We make every effort to include our youngest members in the entire community. Therefore, we will ask you to spend a session in our children’s program, which serves those age six months to twelve years.
Application
Applications are due no later than Monday, November 18th, 2009 (a tight brochure-production schedule will not allow us to consider late submissions). Please send your submission(s) electronically with the information requested below to Nhc2010air(at)havurah.org , with “Artist-in-Residence” in the subject line. If you would like to send additional materials via US mail, please email us at the above address for details.
Complete applications should include the following information:
Course Information
* Course Title and Abstract– Describe your course in 75-100 words that can be used in the Institute brochure, including a title.
* Category – Indicate the best one or two categories from the list that follows to indicate the overall focus of your course: arts and literature (A&L), history and culture (H&C), contemporary issues (CI), spirituality and religious life (S&RL), text (specify: text for everyone (TFE), intermediate text (IT) or advanced text (AT), and/or especially suited for families (ESF).
* Prerequisites– Describe the course prerequisites, if any. If course material is not in English, indicate whether translations will be provided.
* Cover letter – Include a brief letter describing why you want to teach at the NHC Summer Institute 2010, what you would contribute to the community, and how your teaching style would fit into the NHC environment. Please explain how your course will use your art form to explore a theme that relates to ritual, text, history, or some other aspect of Jewish life. How could your course help participants express and engage with the theme of this year’s Institute? This cover letter need not be lengthy, although it should be substantial enough to provide the selection Committee with a sense of who you are as an artist and teacher, and how you would interact with the NHC community.
* Outline – Provide a brief session-by-session outline or overview of your course. Please also include outlines of suggestions for the community-wide activity and the children’s camp sessions.
* Biographical statement – Include a CV or short biographical narrative, and describe your teaching style. Please also provide a short bio (a paragraph or less) that can be used in the Institute brochure.
* Supporting Materials – Feel free to include any additional material that you feel would assist the committee in making its decision. You may include cassettes or CDs, MP3s, photographs, references to websites or other materials. Materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Teacher Information
* Contact information – Name, email and street address, daytime and evening telephone number(s).
* NHC teaching experience– If applicable, list the three most recent course titles and dates of teaching at the NHC Summer Institute and/or regional retreats. You do not need to have attended the Institute before to be chosen as an Artist-in-Residence.
* Institutes attended – If applicable, how many previous NHC Institutes have you attended?
* Scheduling preference – Indicate your teaching preference, if any: morning (10:30 am), afternoon (1:30 pm), or no preference and whether you’d prefer the regular (90 min) or extended format (150 min) classes.
Important Details
o Questions or concerns – Please send an email to Nhc2010air(at)havurah(dot)org with “Artist in Residence” in the subject line.
o Notification– The selection committee will notify you of the status of your application in early December.
o Room, board and registration for the full program of activities – Room, board, and registration are provided in full for Artists-in-Residence.
Thank you!
The 2010 Poretsky Artist-in-Residence Committee